The Tarte Shape Tape Foundation Collection at QVC

As an avid lover of the Tarte Shape Tape concealer, I was elated when I heard that Tarte were bringing out two new products for the Shape Tape range. Releasing two brand new foundations, the Tarte Shape Tape foundation in a matte or hydrating formulation has already had its fair share of controversy. Although the excitement certainly was real at first, many beauty addicts were up in arms due to the abysmal shade range. Tweets telling people to ‘boycott Tarte’ were rife, whilst many an influencer shared their thoughts on the shades rather than the foundation. Suffice to say, it didn’t really receive the attention that it should have done. Although the drama does seem to have died down somewhat, I’m not not entirely comfortable with the fact that in this day and an age, a makeup brand cannot cater for everyone.

That being said, as soon as I saw that the Tarte Shape Tape foundation was heading to the UK as part of a TSV on QVC, I was intrigued. Reason one being that a bottle of then foundation was £35 directly from Tarte, and the TSC was only £44. Secondly, because I really really wanted to try the foundation to see if it’s a good as the concealer. The set itself is still available however it has gone back up to it’s full price of £70 plus p+p. The five piece set comprises of the foundation, an eyeshadow palette, mascara, lipstick and a blending sponge, all contained in a purple Tarte makeup bag. I must admit that when the Tarte sets do on QVC, I can’t resist them as I do find that majority of the products that I have tried have been really good. One of my favourite sets was the Rainforest of The Sea set, again with another Tarte foundation.

Lets talk about the Tarte Shape Tape Hydrating foundation. Again, it has been subjected to controversy with the information that it is actually a repackaged foundation from Tarte which takes away from the brand new, never been seen before Shape Tape foundation launch. The Hydrating foundation promises 12 hour wear, a dewy finish and it’s oil free formulation will not fade, crease or crack throughout the day. It’s advised to apply the Hydrating Shape Tape foundation with a blending sponge for an even and seamless, flawless finish.

The foundation is in a carbon copy bottle of the Shape Tape concealer right down to the large doe foot applicator. Now, I’m throwing this out here right now – I hate this applicator. I don’t think it helps with getting the right amount of product from the bottle, it’s difficult to apply to your face from the applicator as it makes it feel dry on your skin and also I don’t think it’s particularly hygienic to keep putting a sponge applicator back into product. I also feel that I’m pushing a lot of the product to the bottom of the bottle each time you use it, and you cannot feel how much product is on the applicator until you pull it out. I’ve found that I have to dip my applicator back in, at least three times to get a full face.

I applied the foundation with a damp blending sponge as suggested by Tarte, and after spending a lot of time bounding the product into my skin, it didn’t look like I had any foundation on. This was the first time that I had used it, and I was slightly gutted thinking that it was a bit naff, and certainly not worth the money. I found that on that day, I looked like I needed to sort my face out and I came home feeling really disappointed. Compared to Shape Tape concealer which is so full coverage and unbelievably good, I was annoyed.

The following morning I decided to go with my gut instinct and use my Iconic London flat topped buffing brush to apply it. I find this brush to be so incredible at making my skin look flawless, I would recommend it to everyone. Using a brush to buff it into the skin not only took half the amount of time than a blending sponge, but my skin looked amazing, I could see that my foundation was evenly buffed out, seamless and looked great. The Light Medium Honey shade is still a great shade for my skin, and I looked fresh, dewy and awake. I was starting to become a little impressed. 12 hours later, my foundation was still intact and I hadn’t had to top up during the day.

I’ve heard quite mixed reviews from people who have said that it needed a lot of work, which it did with the sponge. I’ve also heard that it doesn’t last, needs a lot of setting, slides off your face and transfers. I haven’t found any of these comments to be relevant to me, which I am actually really pleased about because I love wearing the Shape Tape foundation.

Within the five piece set was the Leave Your Mark palette, which I have fallen totally in love with. I’ve been wearing shimmery copper shadow each day this week. I really do love Tarte shadows. They’re so buttery soft, blend easily and are really very easy to work with. The Tarte Pro palette is one of my most used palettes for versatile shadows. The palette packaging is also cute AF, with it’s gold case covered in pink lips. Very cute and very Anoushka. Inside, seven eyeshadows and a rose gold highlighter; Love. As expected, these shadows are gorgeous and a dream to use.

My lovely friend Keeley always used to rave over the Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara, and I have only ever tried a sample size of it. Having a full size tube to play with means I can really try it out and see it’s full potential. The brush is quite a good size, but I am so not used to brush applicators so I still get it everywhere. I like that the mascara gives full, curled and ultra black lashes with just one coat. I did have a bit of a moment last week where I burst into tears and I hate to say it, but the mascara did not make it through this tough time. Do you know when you see those images of people crying and mascara is everywhere? Well, that’s exactly what I looked like.

I only have one other Tarte lipstick which I got in the Rainforest of the Sea set. The one included in this set is on from the range of Rainforest of The Sea. The colour splash lipstick in Escape is a really lovely deep rose with a hydrating and moisturising formula. I’ve found the lipstick to be long wearing and it’s full coverage in one swipe. It’s not that far off my natural tone of my lip, so it really suits my skin tone and colouring.

Of course, the set does also include a good sized make up bag that is a little too big for my handbag essentials but one that I will definitely be using on my holidays. The blending sponge will go to live with all my other Tarte blending sponges that I’ve accumulated from buying Shape Tape, however the foundation sponge is a great size and shape to allow for seamless blending and getting into those smaller areas of your face. I actually quite like this sponge and although it’s not my favourite way to apply Shape Tape foundation, it does give a lovely finish.

Once again, Tarte at QVC have created a brilliant TSV. After trying the foundation, I don’t think that I would repurchase again at it’s regular price point at £35, as when I compare it to others at that price point such as Armani Luminous Silk, I don’t believe that they are in the same bracket and that Armani is far superior. That being said, I’m do really like the Shape Tape foundation. It does stay on, it doesn’t separate on my skin or make my pores look larger and the dewy glowy finish looks natural but still gives a full coverage. A great foundation, but it’s not worth £35.

Did you buy the Tarte TSV? Have you seen anything on QVC that has caught your eye lately?

This post may contain PR samples that have been sent to me for consideration for review however all my opinions will be my own. The links in the post my be affiliate links which will earn a small amount of commission should you shop my recommendations.